Word of the Year

 Word

1) well said

2)said in a agreement

3) can be used as a greeting, hey whats up

1..and 2...Yo u goin to that rocks tanite....word

3) word up

As defined in the Urban Dictionary

Spin Cycle's Gretchen and Ginny Marie gave the following challenge this week:
"Instead of the usual resolution thing, Ginny and I would like you to choose a word for 2014. Think of all you want and need for the upcoming year and distill it down to just one word that can guide you for the year. And then share it with us all.

And as an added challenge...

Try creating an acrostic poem of your word."

Simple enough, right?  Wrong. Word, as some hiphop and others once said!   I have spent many waking hours and some dreams at night trying to distill my hopes, dreams, fears and whatevers for the upcoming year into one word. The more I thought the more I realized I really did not have a desire to do much more than just zone out.  (Two words, won't work)  I toyed with the word 'rebound'.  Even made up the little acrostic poem to go with it.  I had done an acrostic poem before not knowing that was what I was doing.  But I digress.

Rebound just did not quite fit my emotional state.  Having been a second string basket ball person in high school, rebounding this whole next year seemed to be, well frankly, just too much work.  You know all that running and elbowing and wrestling for the ball.  Nope, I am just too worn down from the last two years of multiple surgeries, multiple family deaths, house repairs, hospital stays, trips, elder care, house and garden staging, packing, moving, unpacking, more trips and of course downsizing. There are still boxes in storage to be unpacked.  Still items to be taken to consignment or donation places.  So rebound is not the word.

Next was renew or revive.  Close but still not a fit.  I searched googled an online thesaurus for words that might work.  No one word seemed to be the word to describe the feeling or state of existence I seek to be by year's end.  I was floundering and searching because I knew this was more important than just a blog.  This is the beginning of the new year in a new lifestyle in a new city with new surroundings.  Surely I am a native Texan but this area is not north Texas.  The Austin area has a different feel than the farming community, small town feel of my Texas childhood and early adulthood.  My soul searching and word searching were stymied.

This morning I was going through my first of the day rituals.  The rituals include checking facebook friends, family and inspirational posts.  There in Dwight's post The Word leapt through the computer screen into my soul.  Dwight was noting how it was raining today in Springfield.  Warmer temperatures combined with the rain would quickly melt the snow from the landscape.  The snow was initially very beautiful giving the world a clean, new look.  Time, snow plows, sleds and life had made the white beauty descend into drabness.  The change of temperature and refreshing rain.  Stop the presses, that's the word, Refresh.

re·fresh

riˈfreSH/

verb

1.

give new strength or energy to; reinvigorate.

Refreshing of my body and soul.  Refreshing of my commitments, Refreshing of my spiritual connection.  To have the energy to want to do more than just stare out the window at passing cars. You see, all the stuff listed in the above paragraphs that happened has chipped away at my reserves. Things did not just happen one at a time but in groups of two, three and sometimes four at a time.  I know others have had it much worse.  They have our permission to choose their word.  My reserves are dangerously low.  I am neither depressed nor sad, just mentally tired and weary.  I do not want to unpack another thing.  It would require my figuring out what to do with the darn thing.  For certain I must still work on items.  But the work can be done as energy allows.  And the work does not need to be perfection just to my satisfaction.

This year my word is Refresh.

To share your one word for the year or just to see others' words touch this word and you will be welcomed into The Spin Cycle!